


Death and Honey

by MissCoppelia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Animagus, Animagus Bestiality, Dark, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, F/M, Happy Ending, Mild Gore, Mild Necrophilia, Mildly Dubious Consent, Necromancy, No Pregnancy, Temporary Character Death, Witches, mild beastiality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCoppelia/pseuds/MissCoppelia
Summary: A young witch finds a bear tied to a tree, but what this discovery leads her to is beyond her wildest dreams.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 40
Kudos: 135
Collections: Reylo After Dark's Prompt Gangbang: Rey Finds Ben Tied to a Tree





	Death and Honey

**Author's Note:**

> I really need you to read those tags. Never did I ever think I'd use such tags, but here we are. I just want to make sure you've read them and you'll be prepared as you can be for what lies ahead. That said, this isn't too grimdark.
> 
> Written for the Reylo After Dark - Prompt Gangbang Event.  
> Our prompt was "Rey finds Ben tied to a tree."
> 
> Thank you to flypaperbrain for beta-reading this fic for me!

Every so often an orphan disappeared from the villages of Jakku. 

Everyone said it was the witches that took them, to eat them. There were even songs about it to scare those left behind, but they held no horror for Rey.

She was never too scared of the songs because her life in Jakku was one of utter misery. So when the witch came for her, she went willingly with no fear in her heart. For even death would have been preferable to the life she knew. 

But she was not eaten. Rather, the witch took Rey to her home deep in the woods, gave her a bath, clean clothes, plenty of food, and asked her to become her daughter.

“It won’t be an easy life, my child. Because no life ever is,” Maz told her. “But I won’t hit you or starve you or work you harder than is necessary. What do you say?”

“Yes,” Rey said. She’d never been so sure she wanted something before in her life.

So Rey became Maz’s daughter and she learned. She absorbed magic almost as fast as she inhaled her meals, desperate for the purpose and knowledge and security that would come with becoming a witch.

Now that Rey was grown and a more than competent witch herself, Maz had decided to take her travels and study new magic from her sisters in foreign lands, as was the way of witches. So Rey was left behind to tend to the cottage and the forest, learning what could only be learned from patience and practice.

It was a bit lonely without Maz, Rey had to admit. There were many days when she longed for a companion other than the animals that had become her friends. But she would gladly choose this life over the fates that had awaited her in Jakku.

One particular day, she was winding up the mountains, in the space that was still thick with trees, but not too far from where the trees gave way to scrub and brush, and the brush gave way to the barren wastes of the summit. The slopes were not yet covered with snow, perhaps in a month or so they would be.  
  
In truth, she had never been to this part of the forest before, as there had been little need. Maz had a plentiful supply of white birch fungus, enough for all of the seven years Rey had lived with her. They’d never needed more than a teeny tiny nub for any given recipe. But of course, it had to run out eventually, and Rey needed more for sleeping potions to sell at the market. 

Thankfully, Maz’s sources were always well documented; her notes on where various herbs and ingredients could be found in the forest were plentiful. And Rey did not mind the long journey up and across the mountains to the little valley where she’d find the birch roots and the fungus growing in abundance. She was always more than happy to discover new beauty in her forest home.

Indeed, the valley was a delight. Delicate green moss covered the ground below her feet and hung from every available surface looking for all the world like the finest lace. She did not find the cool air bothersome, nor the dense mists a concern, for she sensed no danger among the trees.

Rey did indeed find ample stocks of white birch fungus in the valley, and cut plenty of fine specimens for her stockroom. By the time her pack was heavy with them, she’d nearly crossed the whole length of the valley. 

Still, there was space yet in her pack and she thought she might as well fill it completely. The journey home would take her several hours, but she knew how to make camp in the forest, if need be. 

So it was without hesitation that the young witch headed deeper into the little valley, and why she was all the more surprised to see a dark, furry figure tied to a tree several hundred feet ahead of her.

As she inched closer, careful to conceal herself in the trees, Rey realized it was a black bear tied to the tree, not a human wrapped in fur that she’d expected to find. Her mind raced as she took in the way each limb was wrapped in coils of rope that criss crossed over each other. Little huffs of warm breath told her that the bear was still alive, and she could spy no blood dripping from its dark fur to the ground.

Humans did not tread this far into this part of the woods. It was too far from the villages of Jakku, and between this valley and the wild lands of the Outer Rim lay a dangerous mountain range. So how had this bear come to be here? A hunter? But what hunter could trap a large bear in such a strange manner?

She gulped quietly as she thought of the dark magicians of the Outer Rim who might be responsible. Maz had always said they would not cross the treacherous mountain passes, but perhaps they had found a way. 

If that were so…

“I can smell you,” a low voice rumbled. 

Rey froze, a little breath of fear leaving her lungs involuntarily. She had not sensed another presence, however someone had clearly spoken. Turning her head, she tried to assess the new threat.

“Come out, little witch. Don’t play games, I am in no mood.”

It had come from the bear, which she had thought to be unconscious considering how still it had been. Its eyes met hers, full of dark honey and rage, and Rey knew then that the bear had spoken.

Her throat dry, she stepped away from the tree she had been hiding behind. 

“Sir Bear, why are you here?” She asked immediately. “Who has left you like this?” 

The bear huffed his annoyance at her questions. “My master. As punishment.”

Rey’s eyes narrowed. “Your master? What sort of bear has a master?”

A low growl came from his throat. “That hardly matters! Release me!” 

Now there was a terrible idea. Rey began to step away from the tree. If the bear was here, then perhaps his master was still nearby. Whatever kind of master kept talking bears and tied them to trees as punishment, she was not keen to meet them. 

“NO!” the bear roared, thrashing in anger at her departure, trying desperately to move his limbs, or at anything at all. 

But Rey was already beginning to run. 

Her feet took her over the moss covered rocks as the bear’s cries rang throughout the forest as he cursed her. It was not easy going as she rushed away, her heart pounding as she slipped on the slick stones many times, trying not to be too afraid of whatever it was she just encountered.   
  
There were a great deal of things that Maz could never have taught her, Rey knew. Things she could only learn as the world around her revealed them to her. Still, she’d feel much better once she was in her clearing, behind her wards, and curled up in her own bed.

* * *

Rey slept fitfully once she was finally back home. Her dreams were haunted by the bear’s eyes- they followed her as she walked through a peaceful summer meadow filled with flowers.

It was as if those eyes were still calling to her from across the forest, from deep into the little valley where he was surely still tied to the tree. She felt compelled and fearful, even though she stayed in the meadow where she would be safest.

When she awoke, Rey tried to focus on her tasks for the day: storing the white birch fungus, making a small inventory of other supplies, beginning work on her sleeping potions for the market… It took her far too long to complete each task. 

_What if he’s starving?_ Her mind implored. _What if he’s being tortured by his master?_

With such thoughts plaguing her, Rey found it difficult to count the beetles’ toes and dried hendrake and the bottles of nux oil. When it became time to boil water for extracts, she could only think of packing a bag and making the long journey out there again.

It was only when Rey resolved to set out the next morning that she felt less conflicted. She began to make a fresh loaf of bread to take to the bear, and cut down plenty of dried sausages from the rope in the cellar, which meant she’d have to think about hunting for meat on her way back. Once her preparations for the next day were complete, she settled into bed and tried to get some more sleep. 

* * *

Rey felt strange all morning, as if she was putting herself in far more danger than was necessary for a bear. The feeling grew worse the closer she came to the little valley, and there were more than a few times on the mountain where she nearly turned back.

It felt like someone was watching every step she made, but when she closed her eyes and tried to search for another presence, all that greeted her were the regular inhabitants of the forest. There was nothing suspicious about an eagle in flight, or a herd of deer grazing. And, most importantly, there was no trace of magic except hers. So Rey forced herself to press onwards.

As she entered the mossy forest, her heart began to pound with nervousness. She unsheathed her knife and held it ready. Perhaps the bear’s master had slipped past her defenses. Either way, she planned to be ready. At her waist were several small vials of potions, to hide her scent from the bear’s nose, to help her hide within the trees. There was no way Rey would let herself be captured by the bear or its mysterious owner. 

She had just begun to close in on the tree when the bear spoke.

“Back again, little witch?” 

He sounded tired, almost bored, even if she did notice his tone was far less angry than before. 

“Yes, I am,” Rey told him as she crossed into his line of sight, trying to assess the situation and confused by the bear’s calm.

“Why?” he asked, looking down at the blade in her hand. “To kill me?”

Rey shook her head. “To free you.” 

Bears did not usually show human emotions, but she swore the talking bear frowned deeply at her words, as if confused. She supposed that if some strange magic allowed talking bears to talk, then showing emotion wasn’t so odd. Still, it was unsettling. 

“Why?” The bear caught her eye. His eyes seemed so distrustful, she didn’t blame him when she barely trusted him herself. “What do you want with me?” 

Rey stepped close enough to touch him, trying not to show her fear. “Well, first of all, I would like not to be eaten by you. After that, I would like not to be killed by your master.”

“And after that?” the bear huffed, indignant, but not angry.

“After that I would like to return home and live in peace,” she told him. “What _you_ do after I cut you loose and leave is up to you.” 

The bear’s eyes softened. Rey inhaled, the signs of her nervousness slowly abating. 

“Do I have your word, Sir Bear?”

Again, Rey was surprised by the amount of emotion she could decipher on his face. The bear looked entirely incredulous.

“My name is Kylo Ren, not… _‘Sir Bear.’_ ”

Biting back a laugh at his mild indignation, Rey relaxed even more. “My apologies, Kylo Ren.” 

Brandishing her knife in his face to chide him jokingly, she continued. “You were right about me being a witch. But if you dare attack me once I cut you down, I will hex you until you can’t see straight and your nose leads you only in circles.”

The bear gave something like a curt nod - Rey assumed it was a curt nod anyway. She took out the sausages and the loaf of bread she’d baked from her pack.

“I have some food for you, for once you’re freed. So you can regain your strength.”

Kylo was quiet a moment, but when he spoke again, his voice was softer than before. “I-I thank you, little witch. You are a kind one. Many would not be so. I have learned not to trust others easily.” 

Smiling, Rey set the food down. It was a witch’s creed to protect nature rather than harm it, so she was happy to have gained his trust. “For your information, my name is Rey, not ‘little witch.’” 

“Apologies. Rey…” Kylo said, testing her name out on his long tongue. She felt her cheeks flush.

Straightening, Rey began to reach for the ropes. No sooner had her fingers made contact with the jute than she was sent flying back by the sheer force of the spell binding the bear to the tree. 

Kylo’s roar of pain filled the quiet forest as she shook the jolt from her brain. Luckily a tree had broken her fall, and while she could still feel the electricity making her body throb, she seemed otherwise unhurt.

Rey went to him quickly, careful not to touch the ropes again, her hands touching fur in an attempt to soothe. The smell of singed fur and flesh filled her nose.

“Your master is truly cruel,” she breathed, wild tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. 

Those human-like eyes reached hers again, full of pain and swirls of emotion. Anger, rage, helplessness, and loneliness too. 

“Rey,” he croaked, but did not have the energy to say more. His breath came too fast and his massive chest heaved with the effort. 

“I don’t have the tools to free you with me,” she said quickly, panic rising in her chest. “I’ll have to return to my home and get the right ones. It’s not close. It’ll take me all day to get back there, and it’s not safe at night with the wolves. I’ll have to return in the morning.”  
  
“Just go,” Kylo growled, his defeat becoming obvious in his eyes. “Go before my master returns. Don’t come back.”

A chill ran through Rey’s spine at the anger rising in his voice, but she did not turn to leave. Instead she picked up the bread and sausage and held it up.   
  
“Then I’ll return immediately. Before I go, will you eat? To preserve your strength.” 

He looked at the food and then at her, his frown deepening. “Little witch, I am warning you, for you are too pure-hearted. Save yourself and leave me to my fate.” 

Her heart sank at those words. Rey looked down at the meat in her hands, still strung together by the casing, then at the bread and finally over to Kylo once again. There was one thing she could do for him until she got back.

“When you feel like eating,” she said as she wrapped the sausages around his neck. “I’ll take the bread so it won’t go to waste.” 

Her hand moved from his neck to cup at his fluffy cheek as tears began to fill her eyes. “I’m sorry I did not think to bring anything for a curse. I should have.”

Kylo groaned at the contact, and Rey wondered if it caused him pain. But instead he leaned toward her touch for a moment before pulling away. 

This time his eyes shone with anger and she backed away, hurt and scared, as he bared his teeth at her. “Go already, you stupid girl!” 

* * *

Rey practically ran the whole way home, or at least as much of it as the forest would allow with its rocks and streams and roots that would surely trip her were she not careful. There was a presence in the air that faded when she had crossed the mountain pass and dipped into her own valley, and as her heart pounded, Rey wondered if it was Kylo Ren’s master lurking in the shadows. 

That thought only propelled her forward faster as she reached familiar ground. Perhaps if she ran fast enough, she could return to the tree by moonrise. If she ran fast enough, perhaps she could save Kylo from whatever cruel fate that his master had planned.

Once she reached her home, she took only a moment for a drink of water and a splash of it across her cheeks, just to cool off. It was times like these that Rey desperately wished for a horse like the ones in the villages, but Maz had sworn off the creatures. 

_“The moment you get too attached to them, someone comes across your steed and steals them away,”_ she’d told Rey one day as the young girl complained about having to walk all the way back from the village market after a long, long day of selling potions. _“Better to spare the poor horse the agony of being separated from its loving home.”_

Rey seriously considered revising that rule as she bit into a hunk of bread and studied her cellar wall, grabbing the things she needed as she spotted them and tossing them into the bag at her feet.

It was a good hour before she was ready to set out again and the sun was starting to dip below the hills. This time she brought her staff with her. Better to beat back any animals that dared to attack on her journey back. 

As Rey found a rhythm to her stride, she reached out and tried to feel for the strange presence she’d felt before, but the forest seemed utterly empty, as if whatever it was had simply vanished. 

It filled her with unease and she did her best to increase her pace. Still, it was several hours past moonrise before she made it into the valley. In the uncertain light of the moon, the moss on the trees felt far more sinister than before. She knew not what prowled these woods at night, but she knew it could be any manner of predator. 

Here she had to be much more careful. One misplaced step on slick moss could mean a broken ankle. One loud sound could bring untold dangers upon her. Despite the disappearance of the mysterious presence, Rey did not trust that Kylo’s master had truly left. Not until she’d cut him down and heard the truth from his own maw.

As she slid down a large rock, her mind turned to Kylo’s circumstances. How had he ever come to have a master, a wild thing like him? And how did that relationship turn so sour that his master had tied him to a tree in the middle of the woods? None of it made sense to Rey. She would never follow such a master. There had to be something more to it. 

These thoughts were in her mind when she rounded a rock and laid her eyes once more on the tree where Kylo was imprisoned.

It took Rey a moment to register what she was seeing. 

Instead of the bear, a man was tied to the tree instead. His bare flesh was exposed, all white with deep red scars marring delicate, muscled skin. Atop his long, black curls sat a black bear’s head, the rest of the pelt being the only protection between the man and the elements. There were burns where the rope met his skin and blood trickled down a gash in his abdomen. 

“Kylo?” she said aloud, cautiously, eager to hear him growl back at her. But there was no answer, no twitch of life beneath his skin, no breath rising and falling in his chest.

Rey dropped her pack and reached for him, calling his name again, just in case he was sleeping. But no, there was no stirring as she touched him. His skin was growing cold, turning blue beneath the alabaster hue.

Her chest felt tight, her lungs forgetting to bring air in as the tears began rolling down her cheeks. She did not know where her despair and affection for this bear-turned-to-a-man came from, but perhaps it was the weariness in her feet and the frustration for coming all this way only to find Kylo dead. 

For a long time she sat slumped before his form. Once she could cry no more and her mind was completely blank, a memory of one of Maz’s lectures sprang forth.

 _“This is not a thing to be done lightly, Rey, no matter how simple it seems,”_ her old teacher had said. _“Carelessness could mean your death before you even see the results of your efforts. Or worse. Think hard before you ever perform this spell on someone.”_

She didn’t know Kylo, she thought as her eyes flitted across his body, avoiding certain places as she remembered the particular details of the ritual. But he had seemed touched by her kindness, grateful even. He’d tried to protect her from his cruel master and that alone spoke volumes.

A moment of doubt gripped her. It was a dangerous undertaking, this spell, and he was just a stranger in a wood. She had not even known he was a man until moments ago.   
  
Still, it was her fault that Kylo was dead. If she hadn’t dallied about yesterday. If she’d only noticed the curse that bound him in the first place. Or maybe if she’d run faster…

Rey reached for her knife and began to cut the rope. The curse on it had lifted, now just simple jute in her hands. No matter what she decided to do, Rey knew she couldn’t leave Kylo hanging there. Either she’d perform the ritual or she’d build him a cairn.

His body slumped against hers as the ropes sagged, and in that moment Rey closed her eyes and decided. 

* * *

Once he was laid out on the moss, she began to undress. 

The night was cold and stung at her skin, but Rey ignored it. She moved his hands to where they needed to be, then straddled his abdomen, her cheeks flushing terribly. 

Perhaps if she had stayed in Jakku she would no longer be so shy, but once Maz had stolen her away, she only ever saw men on market days. There had certainly been no chances to see one naked, nor to do anything but gaze from afar.   
  
The skin beneath her folds was cold and inflexible as she began to touch herself. Rey tried to imagine warm, supple skin and hands that might hold her close instead of arms that just lay there. She wondered if Kylo’s kisses would taste sweet, or if he’d be a sensitive lover. Perhaps he’d take her roughly and have her crying out into the night for anyone to hear. 

Her thoughts spiraled as she gazed down at his still face below her. The delicate lashes that hid those honeyed eyes, his long nose -unbroken, she noticed- tapering down into sweet, full lips and little moles around his cheeks. Oh, but he was a more than handsome man, and soon enough she was ready.

It took some effort, since his flesh could not react to hers yet, but eventually Rey was able to push his cock inside her. Once she had, she grabbed her knife and the ritual could truly begin.  
  
One slice across her womb. “Be with me.”

One slice across her heart. “Be with me.”

One in both her palms. “Be with me. Be with me.”

And finally, one drawn from her lip. “Be with me.”

Rey laid herself carefully atop Kylo, her heart against his, their hands entwined, her soft lips pressed against his cold ones as the blood trickled from her skin to his.   
  
“Old ones, bring back my beloved. Use my blood to fill his veins. Oh beloved, be with me once more.”

Her heart thudded so dangerously, she was scared she’d forgotten something important, that the spell would fail. She ground her hips against him, praying that the blood would soak into his skin and give him life again.  
  
“Be with me,” she repeated over and over, too many times to count, too many times to remember if she’d said each word or if they’d all swirled together on her tongue. Each time, another kiss and another silent prayer pressed to his lips. 

For all her efforts, it seemed hopeless. Rey had worked herself up into a mess of sweat and blood, but Kylo had yet to stir. Tears spilled from her eyes as she grew dizzy from the effort, not willing to stop her chanting. What if the ritual had called for her to say the words 50 times and she had only managed 48? What if it was 100? Though part of her was sure she’d done everything right, she no longer remembered the final steps with any certainty.

“Please Kylo, be with me,” she said as tears came down her face and all the friction made her tremble with a weak orgasm. “Be with me.”

Collapsing on top of him, Rey stilled for a moment and closed her eyes, careful to keep chanting. She was exhausted, desperate for some rest and relief from the pain in her limbs, and she did not notice how the skin beneath her grew warm until Kylo’s cock began to grow inside her.

“ _Oh._ ” It was hard not to moan as she was filled and filled until there seemed to be no space left inside her.

Rey lifted herself up, breaking their connection. Kylo’s hands twitched, along with the muscles in his face. There was nothing she could do but watch, her heart beating fast with anticipation.

Just as soon as his eyes opened wide and he took a great, gasping breath, something in him began to change. The fur came first, sprouting around Kylo’s face and chest like someone had given him too much hair growth potion.

Then came the rest of the bear’s body and Rey scrambled to disentangle herself from him as Kylo grew taller and wider as his snout and claws grew. She shuffled behind a tree as Kylo righted himself, stood on two feet, roaring in anger, and her hand clasped over her mouth when she nearly squeaked in fear. 

Just as soon as he’d stood, Kylo let his weight fall back onto all four paws and he breathed heavily, looking around the little clearing. Rey tried to be as still and quiet as she could, though she was sure all the forest could hear the pounding in her chest. Closing her eyes, she tried to think about how she could get away before Kylo noticed her and attacked. 

“Rey?” Kylo’s voice said far too close to her ear, his hot breath tickling her bare shoulder.

Fear took over, and Rey screamed, jumping away from Kylo as fast she could. It was only when she was several feet away from him that she registered his gentle tone and the confused look on his face. 

“Oh!” she said, feeling suddenly red hot with embarrassment as she tried to cover herself with her hands. “It worked?”

Kylo took a tentative step forward then rested on his back haunches when he saw her flinch. His expression shifted to one of concern. “What worked? Are you all right? You’re bleeding.”

“T-the spell. You were… You were dead.”   
  
He looked down at his own body, lost in thought for a moment, then back up at Rey. “I remember my master coming and attacking me for not doing what I was supposed to. And then… everything afterwards feels hazy. All I remember is the pain and then I don’t remember anything at all.”

With a sigh, Rey felt her body relax and her heart start to pump at a slower rate. She walked toward Kylo and cupped his cheek. “That would be because you died. Just what was the reason why your master had you all tied up to a tree?”

Instead of leaning into her hand like before, he pulled away and averted his eyes. For a moment Rey wondered if it was due to her nakedness until Kylo spoke again.

“He wanted to kill a witch to gain more power.”

Rey’s breath left her and she began to tremble as he continued.

“I was the bait. My job was to keep you there until he could launch a surprise attack, but the first time you left before he could. The second time…”

Her eyes had begun to water again, and Rey gave a little laugh. “You warned me to leave before he could.” 

Kylo turned his head back toward her and nodded, a guilty look in his eyes.

“Did he kill you for doing that?”

With a great huff, Kylo nodded once more. “He had always told me that witches were evil, but when I first saw you, I knew he was wrong. You only wanted to set me free.”

Rey embraced Kylo, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying herself in his fur. “Thank you for saving me from your wicked master.”  
  
“It is I who should thank you, Rey,” Kylo said softly. “You saved my life, brought me back from the dead.”

With that, he nudged her until she let go, then carefully began to clean away her blood. First, the cut over her heart which trailed down between her breasts, then the ones on her hands that ran down her wrists. She was able to contain her urge to squirm until he moved down to the place just below her stomach and Rey began to shudder with each lap of his rough tongue.  
  
“Kylo,” she breathed as she gripped his fur and nearly pushed him down further. Her body still ached for the proper sort of attention from all her previous ministrations. 

She thought he’d stop there as he paused and looked up at her, but once their eyes met, she only saw hunger there.

“There’s still blood here,” he murmured as he dipped back down and parted her folds with his tongue.

Rey cried out as he found her most sensitive spot and circled it, her body bucking and pressing against his mouth. It was far better than anything she had tried herself, and the fire that raced through her blood consumed her whole body.

It was hard to think clearly when pleasure was overwhelming each of her senses, so it took awhile before the question formed in her mind. “Have you not found all the blood yet?” 

He stilled quickly once again. “Aye, I have. Do you wish for me to stop?”

The truth was she missed his tongue on her bare cunt already. That she wanted to know exactly what it would feel like when she came against his mouth, whether that mouth was the furry snout of his bear form, or the soft lips of the man beneath. 

“You may keep going,” she whispered, her cheeks flushing once again with shyness despite the boldness of her words. “Perhaps you missed some further down.” 

Kylo licked his chops at that, nuzzled her thighs further apart so he could run his tongue lower. This time, Rey did not hold back her moans of pleasure. She let his tongue enter her as his nose bumped against her clit, and it was not long before an orgasm shook her body as she pressed against him. 

When finally she relaxed against the moss and rock, Kylo pulled away and began to shift back to his human form. Rey watched as the pale skin and dark curls appeared as the fur retreated into the pelt against his shoulders. He was so beautiful as a living, breathing human, it almost surprised her. Those dark, honey eyes full of emotion and gazing at her like she held the world.  
  
“Kylo,” she murmured, her eyes heavy as he moved between her legs.   
  
“I couldn’t kiss you in that form,” he said, smiling helplessly down at her. “May I kiss you, sweet witch?” 

Rey pulled him down into a kiss then, finding his lips just as wonderful as she imagined. His hands found her waist and pulled her flush against him where she could feel his cock, hard and weeping against her stomach. 

He pulled away only to clean the blood at her chin, then dove back in to explore her mouth. It left her dizzy, the way Kylo kissed her. She wanted only to sink deeper into this embrace and be drunk on his touch forever.

Perhaps he was able to read her thoughts because he shifted downward to kiss at her neck and his cock slipped between her legs. That made him groan as her thighs clenched around him. 

“Rey…”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “You may.”

He moaned unintelligibly against her chest as he pushed open her legs and searched through her folds with his fingers, guiding his cock inside. It felt familiar and yet entirely different all at once. Just like before, when his body had begun to awaken again: full, but this time finding new places within her to push against. And when Kylo began to move Rey thought she might come again just at the way his cock felt, dragging through her and thrusting deeply back into place. 

He moaned her name again as their lips met once more, and Rey wrapped her arms around his neck where she could grip at his hair every time he did something wonderful. For the little that she knew about laying with a man, Rey was pleased to find it was far better than she ever expected.   
  
Or perhaps it was Kylo who was far better than she ever expected -both gentle and passionate in his lovemaking, seemingly born to please her even as he used her body for his own desire. She had no trouble devising ways to bring him the same kind of joy, searching for the places where he shivered beneath the caress of her lips and fingers.

Soon his kisses grew as wild and frantic as his thrusts. They both cried out as his seed spilled into her, and their bodies melted together as he collapsed on top of her. Rey was more than content to stay like this for the rest of time, with his lips on her neck and his cock nestled inside her.   
  
In fact, she nearly fell asleep right then and there, but a breeze passed reminding her of the cold of the night air.

“What shall you do now?” she asked Kylo as she urged him off of her and went to grab her clothing. “Where will you go?”

“I should like to go wherever you will go,” he said, following her every move. “That is, if I may follow you?” 

Her back was turned to him as she picked up her tunic, but Rey smiled at his words nonetheless. She pulled the fabric over her head and shimmied it down her body, then pulled on her leggings and turned back to him with her boots in hand. There was a nervous look on his face as she did.

“A-at least until you grow tired of my company, that is,” Kylo stammered.

Rey dropped her boots and cupped his cheeks from where she stood above him, grinning ear to ear. “Something tells me I shan’t grow tired of you anytime soon.”

A smile broke out onto his face, pulling back his cheeks to reveal dimples and a sweet glow in his eyes that Rey could only identify as love. Her heart swelled at the prospect and she leaned down to kiss him just as he rose on his knees to meet her.

“Let’s sleep here tonight and head back to my cottage in the morning,” she told him, brushing the stray hairs from his face. “Your body needs to recover its strength after all you’ve been through today.” 

And so they curled up together under the softest patch of moss they could find. Kylo had returned to his bear form for warmth, and Rey did not think she’d ever felt so secure sleeping in the forest before.

She woke up in the morning feeling like she’d slept deeply, kept warm by Kylo’s fur. He barely stirred from his slumber as she slipped out of his arms and found her bag. She’d grabbed another sausage and saved half the bread for her journey yesterday. Hopefully her new lover was not a big eater because she could have devoured it all on her own. 

Kylo’s eyes blinked open as she returned and he yawned, baring his large teeth.   
  
“Oh no, a big scary bear! Whatever shall I do?” Rey giggled as she sat next to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her then shifted to his human form, stealing a kiss from her as soon as he had lips again. “Are you ready to return?”

“Yes, but first, some breakfast!” 

* * *

The walk back to her little cottage was slow as they were in no rush. Kylo stopped occasionally to forage for some forest berries, and Rey took what she didn’t eat in her pack.

Along the way, they told each other of their lives before. First she shared with him her unhappy life before Maz stole her away, then how everything had changed since she became a witch.   
  
With some reluctance and embarrassment, he shared his own story: The son of a traveling merchant and a free-spirited noblewoman, he had longed for freedom only to find himself under his uncle’s oppressive tutelage. When a magician named Snoke came along promising adventure, Kylo could not resist, even when the man quickly became cruel.

“I regretted that decision for years,” he told her as she rode atop his back. (It was apparently much easier to travel long distances in bear form). “But now I am no longer sure I do.”

“Why’s that?”

Kylo snorted. “You, you silly little witch. How would I have ever met you without that rotten old man?” 

Rey let herself splay out along his back with a contented hum, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“It’s hard to walk with you like that, you know,” he told her after a few moments.

“But this is so comfortable,” Rey sighed, pushing herself up again. “Tell me more. How did you come to this forest?”

“We came from the Outer Rim, I carried him over the mountains.”

Frowning, Rey gripped his fur a bit tighter as unease settled over her. “That must have been dangerous.”

Kylo turned his head to look at her a moment. “Less so as a bear.” 

Her stomach felt queasy at that admission, and her mind turned to Maz and her refusal to get a horse. “Stop. Please stop.”   
  
He obeyed immediately and Rey slid off his back.

“What’s wrong?” 

She kneeled before him and pressed her forehead to the top of his head. “When Maz stole me away, she promised me that she would never abuse me or starve me or work me harder than needed, and I would like to make that same promise to you. I won’t ride your back again.”

“Rey,” he said, pressing back against her forehead affectionately. “It’s fine, I don’t mind it.”

“No,” she replied as she stood up again. “I can walk from here. It’s not so far that I cannot manage on my own.” 

Kylo huffed and trodded around her, moving forward. “What if I _wish_ to carry you?”

Turning back to look at him, Rey tried to hold back a smile. “What’s this? Are we fighting?”

“Perhaps,” Kylo answered as he climbed over a fallen tree, and Rey laughed as she did the same. 

They spent the next hour in companionable silence, only speaking to mention a hazard in their path or more berries along their way. Rey was glad for it. As much as she missed Maz’s company, she’d grown used to the quietness of being alone and part of her felt like a warbling bird after all the talking they had done. 

Her mind wandered as they approached the valley where her cottage lay. They were still a good hour’s walk from nearing it at their lazy pace. All seemed well, nature flowing through like it always did, until her senses fell upon the first of her protection wards - broken somehow.

“Kylo,” Rey whispered as she halted. “Where do you think your master is now?”

He froze.  
  
“If I had to guess, he is probably lying in wait at your home.”

“I have to go.” 

Rey took a step forward, but instantly Kylo rounded on her and blocked the path. “Not alone. You won’t be able to stop him all by yourself.”

She bit her lip, wanting to protest that she absolutely could and how dare he underestimate her powers, but Rey had seen the cruelty Snoke inflicted upon his student. Still she hesitated.

“Get on my back,” Kylo said with a growl of urgency, nudging at her thigh. “I can run there if you tell me where to go.”

“But-”

He nudged more insistently. “ _Please._ I’m asking.” 

There was really no time to waste, Rey knew. Who knew how long Snoke had been there, what else he might have destroyed, what sort of traps he may have set as he lay in wait. She gripped the fur at his shoulder and straddled his back. 

“Lay down like you did before and hold on tight,” Kylo instructed.  
  
Rey did as he asked, but felt unsure. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I’ve had to run further than this with more on my back.”

Once her limbs tightened around him, Kylo started into a gallop and Rey did her best to brace herself as she bounced around helplessly. It was difficult to look up and direct him, so she tried to steer him towards the cottage by finding her now-destroyed wards.   
  
Soon Snoke’s path became obvious as they encountered more and more felled trees blocking their way. At first ten, then twenty, then over forty, and Rey mourned the destruction of her peaceful forest. She stopped Kylo when the air began to stink of evil, the kind of magic that only destroyed and killed - never creating or giving back to the earth. Rey had formed a plan.

“Your master wants to kill me,” she told Kylo as she took a skein of rope out of her pack. “So we should offer him what he wants.”

* * *

It was hard to walk up to her home, the one that she’d known for so long, that Maz had built with her own hands, and see the outer walls blackened as if by fire. Rey wondered if he’d cast some sort of explosion spell to flush her out before he entered, for nothing would have survived the destruction inside.

Her arm stung from where Kylo had swiped at her, a mere prop to make it seem like they had been in a physical tussle. Snoke was sharp, he had told her, and he wouldn’t be surprised if his master saw through the ruse. The wound would be a small price to pay to rid the world of this evil.  
  
“Master! Master!” A red fox said, bouncing up from its perch in a broken window. “Kylo’s alive!”   
  
Kylo had mentioned Snoke’s other disciple: a trickster who preferred to torment instead of befriend, and who would run at the first sign of trouble to save his own hide. She sneered at the sight of him.

A creak of damaged wood from inside distracted her, closely followed with a tinkle of crushed glass, and all of Rey wanted to break free and salvage what she could. Her life’s work and Maz’s had been inside. She had _just_ harvested all that white birch fungus.

A figure emerged from the doorway and her breath left her. The man was strangely proportioned, ever so thin and tall that Rey wondered if one of his parents had been a cave troll. But he was so old and wrinkled, his scowl so unsightly, that Snoke could have merely been far more aged than anyone Rey had met before.  
  
His scowl vanished far too quickly when Snoke caught sight of her.

“Well, well,” Snoke said as he stepped through the doorway, an almost serene smile gracing his face. “You’re alive, Kylo Ren.” 

Kylo took the opportunity to return to his human state and yanked on the rope, pulling Rey forward and making her stumble. “The witch was foolish enough to bring me back from the dead. When she let her guard down I was able to capture her for you.”

Snoke stepped forward and began to circle around Rey. “What unexpected diligence, Kylo. You’ve done well. She’s quite a powerful witch. And so young.”

She sneered as he passed and resisted the urge to shudder at the foul smell. All she could do was stare him down, pretend to be helpless and angry, as if her knife wasn’t tucked between her breasts. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment. 

“I’m glad to have pleased you, master,” Kylo said with a nod. 

“Then kill her for me,” Snoke said, stopping in front of Rey. “Rip open her throat so I can drink her blood.” 

Behind him, Kylo gulped hard and Rey made a show of growling and wrestling with her ties as if she couldn’t break free of them. From there, it all happened unraveled quickly.

Snoke stepped back, allowing Kylo access to her. He transformed and they stared at each other as Kylo growled in a mock threat.

“Don’t keep me waiting, boy,” Snoke said, just before Kylo lashed out and sunk his jaws into the old man’s neck.

A moment later, Rey had slid her hands out of the ropes and unsheathed her hidden blade, bringing it to a rest in the old man’s heart. Kylo pulled away suddenly as the old man sputtered, ripping his shoulder away from his chest and sending blood flying. She watched the shock in Snoke’s eyes fade away as the life left him, then removed her blade just as Hux lunged at Kylo’s throat. 

The two didn’t even notice her as she spun around and slashed at Hux. The fox let go of Kylo with a strangled cry and dashed out into the forest at top speed.

Her heart pounding, Rey slumped to her feet as Kylo panted before her, blood dripping from his neck and muzzle.   
  
“Are you hurt?” he managed. 

“No,” Rey said, tears beginning to fog up her vision. “But it looks like you are.” 

With a sigh, Kylo turned back into human form and discovered the puncture marks on his neck, far easier to see without the fur covering his skin. Rey began ripping up her tunic for fabric to press to the wound and soak up the blood.

“Incredible,” Kylo said as he let Rey tend to him, his eyes on the dead body of his master. “I can’t believe we did it.” 

Rey smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow. “It was mostly you.”  
  
He gave her a bemused look. “I couldn’t have done it without your help. I _wouldn’t_ have done it if you hadn’t come into my life.”

Rey opened her mouth to protest, but Kylo ducked his head down to kiss her.  
  
“I feel free for the first time in a long time,” he whispered. “Thank you for that.”

There was nothing that Rey could do but blush and kiss him softly back. Which was all well and good until they kissed far too much and forgot about Kylo’s neck wound.

Thankfully, the necromancy spell could work multiple times, and when he awoke again, they made love right there on the grass.

* * *

Rey’s cottage was almost completely ransacked, but it did give the two of them something to do (other than engage in copious amounts of sex) Many happy days were spent gathering fresh supplies, building the things they needed, and teaching Kylo new magic.

After a while he chose to revert to his given name, Ben, because it no longer made sense to use the one Snoke had given him. He had grown used to it after ten years apprenticing with his old master, but it no longer suited the person he was or wished to be. Rey rather liked the name Ben a lot.

When winter came in earnest, Maz returned from her travels.   
  
Rey’s stomach fluttered as she waited for her mentor and adoptive mother to acknowledge Ben and everything else that had changed during her absence. The old witch waited until she’d sat down with a fresh cup of spiced tea to even comment on the matter. 

“So. You’re the reason why my home has been drastically remodeled.” 

Ben flushed immediately, stammering out a nearly unintelligible apology before Rey stopped him with a hand on his arm.   
  
“Not Ben, his former master. Ben helped me rebuild everything that was destroyed.”   
  
Maz merely hummed and sipped her tea, but Rey caught a flash of a smile there and knew that she approved. Slipping her hand into Ben’s, she gave him a reassuring smile and a squeeze.   
  
“She’s warming up to you,” Rey whispered as they sat to listen to truly wild tales of Maz’s travels for the rest of the evening.

As the winter days grew colder and darker, Rey would often find Ben helping Maz with some task by the fire, or just keeping her warm with his thick fur.

And while life was never easy, Rey found she couldn’t have been happier with hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: Now with a WONDERFUL addition of a commission from the amazing [MizTooka!](https://twitter.com/MizTooka)
> 
> Sooooooo what do you think?
> 
> I actually really love this fic, it was so much fun to write!  
> Hopefully you all enjoyed reading it just as much.
> 
> Like many people, I have a real soft spot for fairy tales. I gobbled them up as a child. This is loosely based on the story of [Snow White and Rose Red.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow-White_and_Rose-Red)


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